Wiconisco Township marked Independence Day 1862 with surprisingly peaceful demonstration.
A Pennsylvania coal town expressed astonishment that it celebrated July 4th without violence in 1862
A Pottsville Doctor Reports on the 96th Pennsylvania at the Battle of Gaines’ Mill
A Pottsville physician travels to the Peninsula to report on the experiences of the 96th Pennsylvania at Gaines' Mill.
Newspaper office in Lykens sent four young printers off to fight the Civil War in 1861
Four young men walked out of the offices of the Lykens Journal in 1861 to join the Union Army. Only one came back.
A Civil War officer described a rowdy party with his comrades… and found himself in a heap of trouble
The officers of the 96th Pennsylvania allegedly toasted George Washington's birthday during a raucous party in February 1862.
“Very Profitable and Productive”- Developing Williams Valley’s Anthracite Mines During the Civil War
Industrialist Henry Thomas worked with infamous Pennsylvania politicians to develop the coal trade in Williams Valley during the Civil War.
Corporal Keiser’s Christmas in the camp of the 96th Pennsylvania
In their newly constructed winter quarters in Arlington, Virginia, the 96th Pennsylvania celebrates its first Christmas at war in 1861.
Christmas 1861 – Robert Gould Shaw’s Holiday Letter From Frederick, Maryland
Robert Gould Shaw wrote this letter to his mother while sitting in his guard tent three miles east of Frederick, Maryland early on Christmas Day 1861.
“The Northern mother to her son” – A poem from the 96th Pennsylvania
Soldier-poet John T. Boyle writes home to the Pottsville Miners' Journal with this poem about the emotions of the mothers on the Northern home front.
“We are determined to conquer in the name of God and our country” – Letter from the 96th Pennsylvania
Captain Charles Hipple detailed his motivations to fight in a letter from the encampment of the 96th Pennsylvania.
“Advancing Cautiously Towards Secesh” – A Civil War Regiment Rides the Rails to War
The 96th Pennsylvania left Pottsville for the Union capital in November 1861 amid the cheers of their fellow citizens.
